Knowledge, Perception and Practice of Safety Measures Related to Workplace Hazards among Manual Stone Crushing Workers in Sokoto, Nigeria

Background: Although manual stone crushing activities provide income to families, the working conditions are often unhealthy and dangerous and employees are ignorantly exposed to different hazardous materials particularly dust particles. Objectives: To assess Knowledge, perception, and Practice of occupational safety measures related to workplace hazards among manual stone crushing workers. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 156 informal small-scale quarries for construction materials workers in Sokoto metropolis. The respondents were selected using a simple random sampling technique and data collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Descriptive, bivariate and binary logistic regression analyses were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23 and results presented in tables. Results: Respondents median age was 23 years, interquartile range: 18.3 – 28.0. Adolescents and young adults accounted for 54.4% of the workforce. All the respondents were males and 69.9% had no formal education. Only 25% had good knowledge of workplace hazard and as high as 63% have a low-risk perception of the hazards. Very few (7.7%) reported the use of personal protective equipment. Only awareness of disease risk (aOR =5.25, P <0.001) was the predictor of respondents’ knowledge of workplace hazards. Predictors for risk perception level of workplace hazards were respondents’ knowledge (aOR = 0.33, p˂0.01); Aware of risk of disease (aOR =2.92, P <0.01); and employment status (aOR = 0.31, p˂0.03). Conclusions: Poor knowledge and low-risk perception of workplace hazards are very prevalent among workers and very few reported use of personal protective equipment. Training and awareness creation on workplace hazards are highly recommended

Awareness, perception, and utilization of insecticides treated nets and intermittent preventive treatment of malaria among pregnant women in Sokoto, Nigeria

Background: Malaria during pregnancy is a major public health problem in Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries, and it is one of the leading contributors to the unacceptably high maternal mortality ratio in the developing countries. This study aimed to determine the awareness, perception, and utilization of insecticides treated nets (ITNs) and intermittent preventive treatment of malaria (IPTp) among pregnant women in Sokoto, Nigeria.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among 307 pregnant women (selected by multi-stage sampling technique) attending the antenatal clinics of the health facilities in Sokoto State, Nigeria. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the research variables. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20 statistical computer software package.Results: The mean age of respondents was 27 ± 5.6 years, and a majority of them (63.8%) were aged 20–29 years. Most, 264 (86.0%) of the 307 respondents were aware of ITNs, and a majority of them (60.6%) were also aware of IPTp. Whereas most of the respondents perceived the use of ITN to be safe in pregnancy (93.2%), and protects both mother and baby from malaria in pregnancy (91.5%), the reverse is true of IPTp. Only about half of respondents (52.8%) own an ITN, and barely a third of respondents use ITN (33.8%) and IPTp (37.5%).Conclusion: The findings of this study underscore the need for government to ensure universal access to ITNs, while healthcare workers should re-invigorate and sustain education of pregnant women on the benefits and safety of use of ITNs and IPTp

Educational intervention on knowledge of cervical cancer and uptake of Pap smear test among market women in Niger State, Nigeria

Cervical cancer is the most common female genital tract carcinoma worldwide. It is increasingly becoming the leading carcinoma seen among women in the developing world. The aim of our study was to showcase the effect of educational intervention on the knowledge of cervical cancer and subsequently the uptake of Pap smear test amongst market women in Niger state, Nigeria. The state has a rich network of markets in all the local government areas because of the fishing activities, bountiful agricultural produce yearly and its situation to the North of the national capital, Abuja. This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in two groups with pre and post intervention data collection. Sample size was determined based on a previous similar study done in Nigeria. Multi stage sampling technique was used for recruiting the study participants. SPSS statistical software was used for data entry, editing and analysis. Respondents’ knowledge of cervical cancer were comparable at pre-intervention but were statistically significantly better (P<0.0001) at post-intervention in the intervention group compared to the control group for every variable measured. However, there was only a (Fisher’s exact, P=0.621) compared to the control group. This study showed an increase in knowledge about cervical cancer and Pap smear test however the uptake of Pap smear test remained low even after intervention. This underscores the need for sustained intervention programs to eventually translate knowledge acquired to habitual practice

Educational intervention on knowledge of cervical cancer and uptake of Pap smear test among market women in Niger State, Nigeria

Cervical cancer is the most common female genital tract carcinoma worldwide. It is increasingly becoming the leading carcinoma seen among women in the developing world. The aim of our study was to showcase the effect of educational intervention on the knowledge of cervical cancer and subsequently the uptake of Pap smear test amongst market women in Niger state, Nigeria. The state has a rich network of markets in all the local government areas because of the fishing activities, bountiful agricultural produce yearly and its situation to the North of the national capital, Abuja. This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in two groups with pre and post intervention data collection. Sample size was determined based on a previous similar study done in Nigeria. Multi stage sampling technique was used for recruiting the study participants. SPSS statistical software was used for data entry, editing and analysis. Respondents’ knowledge of cervical cancer were comparable at pre-intervention but were statistically significantly better (P<0.0001) at post-intervention in the intervention group compared to the control group for every variable measured. However, there was only a (Fisher’s exact, P=0.621) compared to the control group. This study showed an increase in knowledge about cervical cancer and Pap smear test however the uptake of Pap smear test remained low even after intervention. This underscores the need for sustained intervention programs to eventually translate knowledge acquired to habitual practice